W3 Nautilus Nitro Plus Training Sessions...

Beth, Becky, Kathy, Nikki and Therisa,
You are beyond the half way point in your Women and Weights Training and kudos to you for being so willing to learn a new form of fitness. I cannot believe how quickly we are training and the amount of information you are absorbing. From proper posture and seat placement to correct breathing and personal exertion levels... it is all just so fantastic! Take a moment to congratulate yourself on your accomplishments so far.

This evening was beyond a success given the fact that we were in a carb depleted state and we all walked away with not a scratch or gushing wound in the group:-) And yes, Beth all 7 of us were in attendance:-)

Please stay connected thru the weekend and on Monday when we begin Week 2 of our PMM week. Make great nutritional choices and do your best to get to Collier and reinforce all that you have learned from Cindy and me.

Stay Strong!
TT

Welcome Women and Weights Workshop #1

Ladies of W3,
You are now starting out on a journey to a new way of living and I want to help you to reach your goals. You have a great group of built in friends that will support you. The Ladies of KOPIK have walked in your shoes and achieved success... we will all lend you support!

Feel free to share and enjoy all that this blog will give to you.
Above all learn from your experience and realize that changing the way you eat and exercise are the two most impactive things you can do to gain healthy control of your wellness!

Monday is the the beginning of Carb Deplete Week so prepare your meat buckets this weekend and lay in a good supply of broccoli and above all blog to your heart's content:-)
Enjoy the Holiday Weekend and I will see you on Tuesday!
Always,
Tracey Trainer

KOPIK Cooks with Tim

The Ladies of KOPIK were treated to a wonderful demonstration of low carb cooking by our very own DHL Chef Tim. Tim prepared Emart purchased fresh salmon and cod (taegu in hangul) along with bringing a roasted chicken from Emart. Everything was fabulous, flavorful and all low carb, high protein.
Tim showed us his "Other Tim" photo album...where he was 3 times the person he is today. His new lifestyle has him healthier and happier. Thanks for showing us some new dishes and for spending the time with us Tim!

Always,
TT

One photo is Worth a Thousand Words...

Thank You Viviana for your willingness to share your successes with all of us~ your KOPIK Cracker sisters...

Vivi on the left Early January 2008...
Vivi Pazos on the right
early March 2009
Check out that SMILE!!
Note the difference in her shape around where her arm lies next to her sides and her hip width... her everyday clothes are in a severe state of gap-osis and she is mentally & physically feeling so good about all that she has achieved... and we are cheering right along with her! Share your photos and inspire your friends to do change the way they take care of their health and wellness... you are the living example of commitment!!


Stay steady and continue to make your great choices.
Always,
Tracey

KOPIK Continues to Crack the Code...

... but now it is a LIFESTYLE!!

Into Week 9 we are going 4 days low carb and then right into Week 2's Plan on the LadyLifter Recoded Chart.

Call for Figures: What we need to do is have a sound off of how many pounds were lost over the first 8 weeks of the program. I need your numbers whether you lost, stayed the same or added to your frame. My goal is to tally up and totally blow you all away with the stats!

So if you want to blog it to me... that would be great or if you would rather keep it discrete then shoot me a private email at Tracey@LadyLifterFitness.com Either way is fine, I just need to hear from you. Please check in so we can know the impact that our overall effort has produced. I assure you that I will not disclose anyone's personal achievements~ only the total poundage... I will let you shout to the heavens on the blog. I know you are so proud, so you must let everyone share in your success:-)

Remain Focused and Strong!
Always,
TT

Week 8 and KOPIK is doing GREAT!

Crackers!
We have some seriously dedicated and knowledgeable ladies out there who are manipulating their macronutrients almost blindfolded these days. After 7 solid weeks, it is now becoming a way of life and my, oh, my the changes we all see...
We have the buzz of the community and eventhough we are into our last week of the Code... we are never truly done.

Whether you have more to go to reach your goal or if you have achieved it and you wish to maintain... it is all going to take a diligent and concentrated focus to remain true to the plan. You may have to cycle through another 8 weeks to get to your goal weight but realize that you eventually will! and if you are going into maintenance, realize that you cannot go back to the way you used to feed your body... you just cannot! All that you have learned about yourself and what makes you run efficiently has to be implemented forever.

On a personal note, I would like to request photos like Aundrea's... pictures that depict a story of dedication and change. We all love to share the success so please send your "after photos" to tracey@ladylifterfitness.com email address. Also, since numbers are the amazing indicator... please email me with your total loss for the 8 week journey to Cracking the Fat Loss Code.

Much luck to all the Crackers and hopefully we will be able to start up a second round for a new group of folks in a few weeks

PS: My caption for Aundrea's picture is... "WAY TO GO GIRL!!! You lost nearly a whole person in 8 weeks"

Always,
TT

Week 7 is Underweigh...

Hey Crackers,
I hope you caught the pun in my heading...
As Donna said in her last post from week 6, we are beginning to realize and reflect as we come closer to the end of our 8 week journey. Some of you have found a new lifestyle and one that is incredibly powerful. Your mental focus and dedication coupled with the vigor for finding exercise at every opportunity that each day presents has given so many of you, a new view of life.
I must say that I am overjoyed at the way the chemistry of manipulating proteins and carbohydrates has permeated your foundation of knowledge about nutrition. Don't ever stop learning about the science of macronutrients and how they work in conjunction with your body...
It is an ever-changing experiment so don't become complacent and think you have it all figured out and let yourself relax the strategy of cracking the code and carb cycling. Stay on your game and you will reach your goal, if you haven't already.

I will be here to cheer and support as always and I wish you all a terrific week...

Always,
Tracey

Week 6 Kicks In...

To All the Lovely Crackers Out There...

Roll CALL!!! How is it going??

I need to hear from you! Silence isn't golden with this program and if you have lost your focus you need to talk to me... if you are right on and kicking it... you need to talk to me and especially to each other!

I have direct contact with a good number of you ladies and I am receiving visual and verbal feedback~ the Crackers continue to move toward the lifestyle of carb cycling and also realizing that this can easily be a way of life.... and it is not difficult to do.

Karen Golden is now at the point where her safety pins are not cutting it... and her gap-o-sis has taken to being funny. Nothing will stay up on her hips and she and I together, could soon fit into some of her clothing... sure fire sign it is time to pick up a few new pieces and start the new wardrobe.

Monique Hunt has begun Cracking the Code in the last few weeks and already is feeling her clothes loosen up and the scale drop... and we all did our best to band together and succeed at the Holy Family Parish Valentine's Dinner on Saturday evening. Never hurts to be able to select the menu but still and all, we had many temptations and we controlled the intake and had to-go boxes with our next small meal all ready and waiting for us.

My opportunity to spread the knowledge came at the request of Donna W. and on Friday I spoke over a "Crackerized" Lunch... and gave a bare-bones presentation on Macronutrient Manipulation... fancy title for what you all are doing~ I hope we can get one or two more crackers on-board with each and every talk that I can give.

Also wanted to let you all know that my career has taken a new and challenging direction~ I was hired in early February to be the USAG-Yongsan Fitness Coordinator. I am so thrilled at all this could be! It already feels like a perfect fit and I begin with orientation into the government system on Thurs Feb 26, 2009.

What this all means is that I will still be here and at Collier for all of you, I will still be able to retain my contract as Tracey Trainer for the community (training only on off-duty hours and weekends to avoid any conflict of contract) . My role as fitness provider to the "Stars" of Yongsan may change slightly with my new obligations to the garrison but I am going to be coming to you for ideas on how to improve our fitness in the community... so stay tuned:-)

For now, I will see you at our Library Meeting on Friday Feb. 27 and then I will keep you posted on how my schedule will be...

So keep marching forward! Continue to make the solid choices in relationship to your re-coded charts and continue to MOVE with every moment that you are given and I will see you on the blog or in the weightroom...

Always,
Tracey

Week Five is Fine!!

Crackers,
Week 5 is here and so many of those ladies that I see in the community who are cracking the code are surely realizing the fruits of their labor. All over town I am witnessing, and so is the rest of the garrison, ladies with a sense of pride in the fact that they are in control of their nutrition, their health and their lives.

Getting through the first 4 weeks of Cracking the Fat Loss Code with Lunar New Year's functions, the Super Bowl parties, military balls, and AFSC luncheons has been a true test to the cohesiveness and fortitude of our team to support one another with a determined focus.

Our weekly meetings continue to be an open forum that attracts our veterans and newcomers alike. On last Friday, Adele and Beth joined us to find out more about KOPIK Club and all the buzz at the Chosun Gift Shop (thanks to Viv and Donna). Adele didn't waste any time to begin her Carb Deplete Week... she started on Saturday at the Why Catholic Retreat and if you could have seen our faces when we learned that the menu for lunch was soup and bread and then our elation as we walked thru the line and spotted the beautiful roast beef and turkey meat and veggie tray. We were two very happy women!

Crackers~ you are a presence of great influence and importance in our community. With each word of success that is spoken, we have the opportunity to recruit one more person to join us or at least share what we are trying to achieve.

Our goals are getting closer with each passing week.... and I highly encourage any of you that haven't begun to "move" since starting "The Code", to do it!
You will enjoy the two-fold benefit of when quality nutrition and physical exercise come together to help you achieve total wellness. You will walk taller and you will see the difference!

So join me at Collier... check out the free classes, the variety of cardio equipment or if you have always wanted to learn how to lift weights... I think they may have a pretty decent personal trainer on staff ~ LoL

Keep up the Code busting and smile... you all are incredible!!

Always,
TT

Super Bowl Monday begins Week 4... Halfway Already !

KOPIK Crackers!
Believe it! We are starting our 4th week of Cracking the Fat Loss Code and it is now the time when we all need to step up and lift each other up!
The fever of the first weeks got us connected and talking the talk, but now that we are rolling into the midweeks.... more vocal support is required!

I dont want Crackers to feel that they are plugging along on their own... lets publish recipes and share ideas to keep the weeks moving along... remember we need to support one another. Don't sweat it if you have slipped and had something you shouldn't have. We all do sometimes.... as long as you have put it behind you and carried on with the plan, that is what matters. We are human and food is one of those pleasures in life.... if it is just a tiny slip-up, enjoy the special treat and then move on.... to just quit and give up shouldn't be an option or choice!

So how many of us have started a "move your body" program?? In other words, exercising in some fashion by moving our bodies in a concerted effort to put rigorous stress on our systems to build muscle and/or burn calories?? Now is the time, if you haven't already! The nutritional manipulation will only do so much but to achieve total wellness, we must combine it with heart strengthening and muscle challenging exercise.

We have 10 treadmills at Collier Field House alone along with Eliptical Trainers, Stationary Bikes, Indoor Cycles, Stairclimbers and Rowing Machines. Lace up and go for a walk now that the days are getting sunnier. Walk the COEX Mall, take a swim at indoor pool #3 or purchase a membership to The Point.

As we must all remember, we are doing this together and we need to vocally support one another.... so be VOCAL this week... my challenge to you all~ check the blog and comment at least three times during this week. Lets see if we can all contribute to our success!!

~TT

Donna and Aundrea in the US

The Gals are stickin' to the plan with a smile, even on the road! Way to Go Donna and Aundrea!! Hurry back to kimchi, bulgogi and us...

Wrap Up of Week 2 and Preview of Week 3

Hey KOPIK Crackers!!
It was a great group discussion at our Friday meeting... we tackled questions ranging from the "need for sweet" just after eating dinner to how do we prevent craving. Also, I demonstrated how to make the Protein Power Pudding (chocolate banana flavored) and sampled Pink Protein Goober.
Now as we begin to look toward Week 3 and the changes it brings ... lets reflect on all that we have experienced and accomplished in just 14 days. The Crackers have depleted all of the energy stored in the muscle fiber and liver and then have proceeded to make incredibly focused and pronounced choices with regard to our nutritional intake to bring the carbohydrates back in to a minimum threshold. All of this in an effort to re-teach our bodies how and where to go for energy. For us, the conversion of using excess simple carbohydrates to using body fat for energy, is one that takes time... and since we are still "new" at this~ once your body understands and gets the rhythm for the process~ we will realize that we can manipulate our intake and change our physique to what we want it to be! Pretty Monumental Stuff, I must say!!

So with all of the changes that are happening~ remember where you came from and how you fueled your body just 2 weeks ago . Don't ever lose sight of that comparison especially when you start "fretting" over the fact that you want an apple but you cannot or you want a glass of milk. Yes you can have it and do have it... in complete moderation! Realize that it is not a box of Russell Stover Chocolates or a gallon of Roady Road, it is something from your old way of eating that you need to allow yourself to enjoy with this modified plan. They are the "healthy" foods that may not be in the Wendy plan enough to suit you but your body longs for. Use them in moderation and understand that where you started and where you have come to is like crossing the ocean in a row boat and if having your favorite dairy or fruit once or twice a week keeps you "in the boat" then by all means go ahead and enjoy! Like I always say, "you have to live life! and completely eliminating something you truly enjoy reduces your quality of life and you are less likely to adhere to this type of lifestyle." Now to quantify that statement... I don't mean, if you love marshmallows that you can down a bag every week cuz that is what your body needs~ Not Quite The Idea I Had In Mind:-) So if you need more advice on this, simply email me but in the meantime~

Look to remain in control during Week 3.... this includes preparing your meat bucket this weekend, journaling and setting your strategies for what life may throw at you so that you can make it through each day with success. Continue to talk to me and each other in the Cracker Community via the blog and let us share in the successes ... contribute to the blog~ publish a recipe, send me a photo that I can post or share a strategy that helps you stay on track... and I will see you on Friday at 11:45am in the Main Post Library.

Always,
Tracey

Recipe for Protein Power Pudding~

Chocolate Peanut Butter Flavor:
1-2 scoops of Designer Whey Vanilla Protein Powder
1/4 tsp of creamy peanut butter
sprinkle chocolate Jell-O to your own taste preference

Chocolate Banana Flavor:
1-2 scoops of Designer Whey Vanilla Protein Powder
sprinkle banana cream flavor sugar free fat free Jell-O and
sprinkle chocolate sugar free fat free Jell-O to your own taste preference

For any flavor of pudding:
Just drizzle a tiny bit of water in the cup and stir.., add only a drizzle of water and while stirring add a bit more... as you stir the powder will begin to form a paste... a few more drops of water and it will turn to a smooth, almost frosting like consistency. If it turns to liquid~ you added too much water but don't start over, just add a bit more protein powder to thicken it back up to the smooth texture you want. Also if it is a carb up day and you are having that evening meal... try tossing a tsp or two of of Kashi/Grape Nut mix into your pudding. The texture makes it taste like a heath bar crunch


Other Flavor Options:

Cherry Cheesecake
Use SF-FF Cheescake Flavored Jell-O and then cherry flavored SF-FF Cherry

Chocolate Raspberry, Strawberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Almond (using almond extract)...
try and share your flavor combinations.

Special Request for Donna W... HEY DONNA!! CAN YOU SEARCH OUT AND BRING HOME SOME CHEESECAKE JELL-O FOR THE CRACKERS TO TRY??) My Mom ships it to me since our Commissary doesn't carry it! If you can that would be fantastic!!

Start of Week 2... Yahoo!!

Hello Crackers!

For most of us, we are seeing Carb Deplete Week in the rear view mirror... and we have accomplished just that~ depletion. Now lets bring the carbs back in to find our threshold... a threshold where we can continue to use body fat for energy but consume enough complex carbs to retain the much coveted muscle and keep the metabolism revving high.... remember, if we continue to deplete~ our metabolism will wise up to our strategies in about another week and simply slow down to a snails pace to conserve and survive. We will stop progressing in converting fat and we do not want to stop that process... that I am pretty sure of:-)

I have attempted to simplify Wendy Chant's directives on Weeks 2, 3, and 4. So check and see the photo inclusions below.I have recoded so that you can look at the code and intuitively know what day it is... I hope this helps. Please refer to the pages in the book that I have cited so you can be very clear on portions sizes and foods of choice.

Since our Crackers group has grown to incredible proportions, I have been having difficulty with sending out email to you all. My Internet Service Provider will only let me send out distribution lists of 25 or less. So my emails to KOPIK Club are coming back undeliverable... to fix this problem, we set up a subscription list that will allow me to batch email and it will also allow you to unsubscribe from my KOPIK emails... be sure to respond if you wish to be removed from the list of 60+ members of KOPIK. Now that my email list problem is resolved, I will send out the word document below via email so that you can have a nice clear copy to tape to your kitchen cabinet:-) Thanks for your patience with this!!

Have fun this week with carbs on board and do pay close attention to how your body reacts with them in the system. Blog and share your observations. Weigh yourself today (Monday) and not again until next Monday... as we know, it is all about the "gauge pants" and how you "feel in your physique". Remain focused... the hardest part about bringing carbs back into our diet is that the chemical reactions that come with carbs make us want "more carbs". So with that awareness, be sure not to fall victim to the carb cravings that may ensue. Realize the possibility and put protein in instead and always have water to drink...

Have FUN Gals!!~TT

The 7th Day...

Ali, Scott, Karen and Crackers Everywhere!!
We are there!!! Week One is almost in the bag.... and with the comments to the blog for yesterday, I am hearing feelings of uncertainty in where this is all taking us... so I would like to help with that if I can~

I do understand that life is always measured as the effect of what we do in relationship to how it impacts our quality of life. That is a constant daily feedback and definitely carb depletion is not the way we want to live all the time... too difficult to function at such a energy deprived state and also it is not healthy for the body to have to maintain the chemical process of ketosis for long periods of time. We are just not meant to do that and as of tomorrow we are going to bring those vital carbs~ complex/quality carbohydrates back into our daily nutritional intake.

What is most important, as with everything we do, we must always assess, compare and learn from the process... so be sure to use this past week as a litmus stick of sorts~ it is a test by which the remainder of what you do is to "read the signals" your body sends. Compare what you are seeing, feeling and document the changes both mentally and in writing as you journal. Be determined to learn how this change in the way you put nutrients in your body effects you and strive to find a place where you are changing/cleaning your intake for the good health that it imparts and also to be able to function at the highest quality of life possible.

By all means, we do not want to go back to our former way of eating and thinking about food~ in converse, we want to bring a wide selection of complex carbs to our diet that, in the coming weeks, rev up our metabolism to its minimum threshold with little to no excess carbs to store in over-abundance. Ocassionally we will carb up and overflow the system... take notice of how that feels... you may be very surprised to see the differences, some good ~ some not so good depending on how your insulin reacts to the carbs... everyone is different so tune in and learn your body's signals!

Just think of how you use to see food prior to this week and how you are seeing what you choose for fuel now. We are going to continue that thought process, only now we will have carbs on board to do their job in keeping us burning brightly:-)

I will try to help with clarity for next week's plan either via Group email or the blog... so stay tuned:-)

Love,
Tracey

Day 6 is Underway!!

Crackers...
We are cruisin' along and looking toward bringing carbs back into our lives next week... always, being ever-mindful of not reintroducing more than a minimal amount of quality complex carbohydrates to renew our glycogen supplies and give our muscles about 1/8th of a tank to work with:-)

Our weekly Friday noontime meeting had Crackers sharing some similar experiences with respect to fatigue, sweet breath, metalic tasting mouths, aches and foggy brains. All a direct result of depleting the body of carbohydrates and forcing it to metabolize fat for energy. It was stated that some were approached by others with the statements of "this is not safe for your body. It is too extreme and could be dangerous". Yes it is extreme but what we must remember is that this is for a finite amount of time (7 days only) and the purpose is equivelant to deleting all of the old stored files on your hard drive.... all of that excess "gunk" just slows the system down and once you purge the gunk, you can start clean and fresh and run a whole lot faster. Also it lets you maintain control of all that goes back into the computer... it is when we uncontrollable start downloading every bit of junk (low quality food) that comes in.... from our email, internet etc ... that is when "the system" begins to become very sluggish.

We looked at the coming weeks of menus and tried to make heads or tails of Wendy's meal cycles in the coming weeks. I have yet to take a good hard look but when I do, if I can make it a bit more streamlined and easier to use... I will share that strategy. If any of you ladies have it figured out and would like to share your ideas....please do!

So if you have found that your appetite is growing smaller or pretty much non-existent and you are not craving nearly as much... you are starting to see the 'differences' that an overabundance of carbohydrates in your system will do. They do elicit the hormonal imbalances that create cravings and an insatiable appetite. By carefully monitoring and selecting the quality carbs that we need.... we can manage our nutritional intake much more diligently.

For all of the Crackers that have lost weight on the scale during this carb deplete week~ WAY TO GO GALS! but know we must focus our energy on the journey of learning how to feed our bodies for the rest of our lives... so I do not want this remaining 7 weeks to be all about the scale. So from Monday on, we will weigh once a week on Monday and then not think about it the rest of the week. Instead be more in tune with how your "gauge pants" are fitting and how your feel and see yourself in the mirror.

Having such control over the quality nutrition that you fuel your body with is such a wonderful mental feeling. Ladies yesterday were commenting on how they feel more organized and actually are... and not just with their meal plans but in every possible aspect of their lives. Like I told them... you feel the positive feedback/a type of euphoria in knowing that you are doing something so very "right" and that positive energy transcends and flows to many other areas of your life... it is empowering to be doing what you know is the best for body and mind.

So keep journaling, make solid choices even in your carb depleted states and know that carbs will be coming back into our meal plans very soon... share your successes if you feel comfortable and lean on the blog as many have been doing.... I think that you all are just amazing!!

Always,
TT

High 5... in a Row!!

Day 5 is just another day, an ordinary day as Avril Lavigne said in her lyrics... but is it really??
We are for the most part totally depleted of glycogen, both in the muscle fiber and in the liver. We should be well on our way to ketosis or actually converting fat for energy now. I have been encouraged, beyond words, as to the mechanism of support that this blog has become. I have had clients and friends hound me for years to design a website that would be an extension of my life as a conduit for fitness and wellness. After 4 years of thinking about it, I finally realized that it was beyond my scope of expertise to be a webmaster. So when I finally conceded that is when I hired Andrew Kozak, a friend of my son Ben's at the State University of New York at New Paltz... I finally acted on my thoughts and found someone that could design it for me and now my wonderful husband, Dave maintains it for me (and us:-) While settling on a design for this website, I was very certain I wanted a blog and I thought it would connect my clients all over the world just because they were LadyLifters... but it really didn't catch on. It had no driving force to bring people to the discussion table. So to get to my point, like I conveyed to Donna on the phone yesterday, I am elated to see this blog become everything I had envisioned it to be and more... I thanked Donna for wanting to promote this project and for all of you who decided that the time was now and by making this life-change together, it would be perfect timing in every way!
My thanks and my utmost respect to each and everyone of you who has had the strength and courage to embrace Cracking the Fat Loss Code... change can be a scary thing but we are doing it as a team and with change comes a new way of living life. The best part is... life will now include a whole new group of friends fondly known as your Cracker Sisters!!

Concreso Catena
~Tracey

Day 4 ... and Only a Few More...

How are we all doing out there??? I want to hear from all of the ladies on my buddy, Donita’s side of the world in Italy and Germany~ Donna’s friends and mine in the good ol’ USA, our band of merry Crackers here in Yongsan and any other ladies and gentlemen joining our KOPIK Club in search of Cracking the Fat Loss Code.
I have heard from a few ladies whose husbands are teaming up to make this a couples quest… how awesome is that?! Kudos to Scott Thompson and Tom Isom ~ and if there others out there, please chime in and be heard:-)

How are the headaches doing? Mine is gone… I am not sure if you are all aware but the symptoms of ketosis are headaches, body aches and sometimes both. This by-product of Ketosis {pronounced /ki-tosɪs/ ; is a state characterized by elevated levels of ketone bodies in the blood, occurring when the liver converts fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies (which can be used by all of the body for energy as an alternative to glucose. These ketone bodies are a by-product of the lipid metabolic pathway after the fat is converted to energy.} is dubbed “Atkins Flu” and will go away after your body has adjusted to using fat as fuel instead of glucose.. In 1 to 3 days, the headaches should go away leaving you with, hopefully, a new found energy and diminished food cravings. Until then, take Tylenol to keep the pain threshold at a tolerable level and be sure to get enough water in daily.

I am looking forward to keeping the focus and witnessing the moment when this gets easier… it should be soon. I will see you at the gym and I hope that if you haven’t decided yet on how you are going to incorporate “moving your body” into your total wellness plan… that you give it some thought today. We can only affect so much through nutritional means but to gain total wellness, we must incorporate the physical exercise that stresses the muscles, joints, bones and heart to perform at a higher level. Conditioning our minds and bodies to live the healthiest life possible… that is what we are reaching for~ so think about how you can achieve it! And let me know what you plan to do… and try to start it today!

Here are some ideas for this cold, cold weather in Korea:
~Go to the DHL and walk up and down the stairs from the lobby to the Mezzanine and down to the basement for 15 minutes or take the stairs in one of the towers and climb for 15 minutes and ride the elevator down.
~Bundle up and briskly walk from the South Post Shoppette to the Main Post Shoppette… buy some TicTacs as your reward. (Lisa says there are Zero Carbs in TicTacs.~ it is amazing the wealth of knowledge that comes from examining the food labels on every thing that goes in your body!:-)
~Pack up your swimsuit and head up to Indoor Pool #3 and swim for 15 minutes. They have mini-flippers, body floaters and paddle boards to assist you at the start.
~As Donna says, “check out the variety of fitness classes offered at Collier.

OK GANG>>>> Help me out here… lets try to come up with some “alternative” workouts that might work for 1 person or hopefully a whole group of folks.
Remain Tough and Tenacious!!
Always,
Tracey

Smile Crackers!!... It is Day 3!

Hey Gals,
We are chugging along and making it! Not an easy task and as you can read in your comment... thread, some are feeling it more than others. That is normal since our bodies survival triggers are all different. Headaches are big on the list and hunger is another... both physical responses to what is happening in the chemical processes of the body. It is sort of like when you fill up the tank in your car... run all over post for 48 straight hours and then the warning light comes on as you run the needle toward "E". Your engine and car's system says, " Hey DUMMY! If you don't want to have to take the gas can and walk your sorry *&% to the gas station then you better not mess around... go recharge at the pump. I am warning you... you have less than 1/4 a tank left". Well our headaches and hunger are the "warning light" . Everyone's threshold for "warning" that the tank is getting lower than it normally should, is a bit different. The feeling of hunger is because we are running out of quick energy fuel and having to rely on the conversion of fat to give us our spark. It is more difficult for the body to tap into this fat source so it wants the easy way... what our body is yelling is "just fill the tank (with carbs) and you won't have to walk with gas can in hand (take the hard way of converting fat)"... sure is tempting to go the easy route but once we get used to keeping the gas can full in the trunk of the car~ we wont worry about running out of "gas" cuz we can just pull out the can and drop in a bit of fuel from the reserve tank (carb cycle). We want to tap into the fat stores and use fat for fuel and we want to get used to that process... it takes time but it will happen~
We are almost half way there so stay in the game and stay focused!!

Crackers... Rock on with Day Number 3!!

~TT

Day One is Done...

How about that ladies!!!
Day 1 is in the rear view mirror.... and the starting gun has already gone off for Day 2.
Hope you all are feeling strong and mentally OK. Fuzziness might hit today or tomorrow, so be on the lookout for the signs. Taking the dog leash and not the dog is a huge clue:-)

Talk with you more as the day progresses....

TT

PS: Donna emailed me a photo to share with you all... and I couldn't decide what the title under the picture should read so I hope you can help me find a suitable caption.
.... I came up with:

"Tracey, do you have a scale big enough to measure this portion size?"

Twas the Night Before....

All Right Ladies~ the moment we have been anticipating for a few weeks now. We have read the first 5 chapters (or more), we have purchase, prepared and placed the meat bucket safely in the fridge. No cottage cheese~ no worry! We have backup plans... rely on your egg whites, meat and broccoli for it is only a week! We can do anything for a week (or more) but in this case, lets achieve 7 days and be proud of that!!

I am ready to hit the pillow and dream of egg whites with a dash of onion and a touch of shredded cheddar cheese... Carb Deplete Week is HERE!! The sooner we start, the sooner we will learn about change:-)

See you tomorrow Crack the Fat Loss Code Gang!

TT

PS: the kids took this photo tonight of, yet again, "Mom with Meat". Dave says I am a "meat-a-terian" and the dog thinks I am going to share~ "Yeah Right!!!"

Second KOPIK Meeting: Pre-Carb Depletion Week

Crackers,
We are getting some great feedback from those ladies that boldly began the CD week 7 days early due to scheduling issues. I think it is wonderful that we are all looking at this program with the mindset that we will succeed if we make it work according to our lifestyle and busy schedules... It will be the difference for reaching the goal.

Our meeting yesterday, gave us the opportunity to discuss proper portion sizes of protein and possible speed-bumps that will arise throughout the week of Carb Depletion. My analogy equated the experience to running a marathon in a week. You will carb deplete and as in a marathon at about the 20 mile mark you hit the wall... everyone does... and it comes down to the mental and physical fortitude that you draw on to make it to the finish line. Your "20 mile wall" may come on Wed or Thurs or maybe you will glide to the finish line. We are all unique in how we adapt and tackle the challenge, but the important thing to remember is that you may experience the "wall"... be your strongest to fight the urge to turn to carbs. Reach out thru the blog for support and be sure to prepare your protein bucket for the week and lean on it when you need to.

Meal Spacing is crucial since you do not want to get behind the Calorie Curve. Skipping meals throws your body into a state of survival mode. Elimating carbs from your intake is plenty of manipulation for your metabolism, you want to give your body the guarantee of regular intake on the clock so that the fuel is available to keep the engine moving along.

Get your journals to record your daily weight and food intake , take your body composition photos, purchase your commissary items, precook your proteins and store them in a glass container. (i.e.: hard boil eggs for a quick morning egg whites source, cook all at once your chicken or lean steak etc)

Remember, the norm for most of us is to fill our tank full of carbs daily to the point that carbs spill over in abundance... sort of like overfilling your gas tank to watch the gas flow onto the ground under your feet. This Carb Depletion Week is going to take your full tank and run the needle to "E". We will use up all the gas in the tank this week and then in Week 2 begin to manipulate the carbohydrates that go back in. As with our car, we will be putting only 1/8 of a tank in, just enough to fuel most of our daily functions and use it all up. With exercise, we will use extra calories and teach our body to tap into the "reserve" (fat) supply once the main tank is used up. That is why we must also combine this program with an exercise program as well. It will allow us to tap into that reserve more often than ever. Since most of us have always had a full or overflowing tank daily, the most we may have used is the top 1/4 of the full tank... only to top the tank off with the very next meal. It was nearly impossible to deplete our glycogen stores of available energy to ever start converting our stored body fat for energy. Now with this coming week, the Crackers are resetting individual carb thresholds so that we can then learn where our body's threshold is. In the weeks to come, our goal will be to keep just enough carbs in our bodies to fuel our mental and physical activities and to keep our metabolism firing at peak performance but at our minimum threshold so we can dip into fat conversion for energy when necessary.

So look upon this week as the challenge of not putting any gas in the tank eventhough you may be on "fumes".... let your KOPIK Sisters be the spark that keeps you going when you feel you may just stop... so freely talk about the week as you experience it!!

Good Luck and I will see you all on Friday Jan 16th at 11:45am at the MP Library Conference Room.

Always,
TT

PS: Posted is a photo of 3 oz of steak on a bread plate (not a dinner plate). It is weighed on my digital food scale and I also placed a playing card on top so you could see the relationship of size to amount. A fist or a playing card... as long as you are quantifying the amount of what is going into your body, you will succeed!

First KOPIK Book Review Planning Meeting

Ladies,
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break. Now it is time to get down to business:-)
Today at noon, a KOPIK contingent gathered at the Main Post Library to set the ground work for how we will tackle the book, "Crack the Fat Loss Code"... the calendar has us covering the first 5 chapters by next Friday so that we can discuss any issues that arise before we begin the carb depletion week beginning on Monday Jan 12. We will have another meeting next Friday Jan 9 at noon in the conference room at the MP Library. .. please join us if you can. If you are doing this via the blog... welcome and stay connected by blogging any questions or needs you may have. We are all here to support one another~ that will be our key to success over the next 8 weeks and beyond.

Topics discussed today ranged from proper meal spacing of 2.5 to 3 hours between refuelings to how hungry am I going to be during carb depletion week? For gauging and refining your portion intake to ensure that you are taking in the proper amount based on your metabolic rate, be sure to "tune in" to your body. For example, if you eat breakfast at 7am according to Wendy Chant's plan and 3 hours after you eat your micromeal (10am), you are not hungry (and you actually don't start to get hungry until 12-12:30pm....) then realize that you will have to adjust your intake to compensate for you metabolic rate and calorie usage. So if you have taken in too much at breakfast then you need to reduce your portion size at breakfast until you can space your meals and hunger 2.5 to 3 hours apart. If you are ravenous by 10am then add an ounce more protein in at breakfast and then if you are just getting hungry and you can look at your watch and it says 10:00... then you ate just the perfect amount at breakfast. Now this is how you will be tuned in to what you metabolism is telling you.

Also realize that depending on the expanse of your stomach, it may take a week or two for your stomach to "shrink" down to the 6 micromeals a day. At the start, you may "feel" hungry do to the difference in portion size to stomach girth. Hang in and know that this is normal. Patience will be necessary for the body to adapt to the new 6 small meal plan you are now practicing.
As you read and also head into your carb depletion week~ ask your family for assistance in the way of supporting your new goals and eating lifestyle. You may want them to join you or you may wish to let them continue eating as they always have... either way, be sure that they support you by not offering (tempting) you to lose your focus. By not offering you those fries or that taste of their BR ice cream but rather just enjoying it~ they will be supporting you by allowing you to enjoy their experience without actually compromising your goals and ultimate your success with Cracking the Fat Loss Code.

Your carb depletion week may make you irritable and tired. This is a very normal reaction when you ask the body to change the way it processes food for energy. We are forcing our bodies to shift from using carboydrates as our primary energy source to begin tapping into and converting body fat for energy. Obviously our body really likes the situation the way it has always been~ with plenty of free floating carbs in our system and plenty of rich fat nicely stored on our thighs and hips and abs in case of an all out fast or famine~ This shift is going to make your body rebel and in the process, you may find a lack of mental focus, shortness of patience and just an overall feeling of fatigue... be very aware that you have been given a "heads up" on this possible reaction and you know that it is all temporary. Once your body adapts and begins to efficiently function on less carbs, you will begin to feel and realize the benefits of carb cycling. More energy, less fat storage due to not needing the ready fat fuel stores for survival due to sporadic meals intake or meal skipping. You will benefit from more balanced blood sugar with smaller, frequent and consistant meals containing smaller portions of proteins, complex (not simple) carbohydrates and essential fatty acids.

Remember: Nutrition is a science~ your body and the food you put into it are the chemical reaction that you are going to experiment with to find the solution of how to manipulate your macronutrient intake and effect the results of how your body processes and utilizes the fuel. Your endgoal is to use every bit of quality nutrition you put in and move on to the next small meal. Efficient use of your quality calories leaves your body little excess food to store, satiety with solid nutrition and confident that another meal will follow at timed regular intervals. This guarantee allows your body to "relax" and start using the richest energy source it has stored on it~~ fat! This is the ticket to all we are trying to achieve. Do your best to remove the emotional and physical attachment to food while priming your body to function on more of the quality ratio of macronutrients that you need. Gear your thinking toward asking the question before preparing each meal... " how will this food fuel my body? I need the best macronutrients possible to propel me through the next 3 hours". Will the temptation of Doritos or a piece of chocolate cake pass that question and make it to your plate? Not if you ask the question every single time until you no longer have to ask it~ you just know the answer by heart!

In prepartaion for our start date~ go out and purchase your composition notebook so you can start journaling your intake. I will email you my nutritional breakdown of favorite foods and you can print, cut out and staple those 3 pages to the first 3 pages of your journal for quick reference. You can also augment the list with your favorite foods by referencing www.calorieking.com
Calorie King has over 40,000 foods in their nutritional database and if you just key in the food and the portion size it will give you back the complete nutritional breakdown of that food. It is a great resource!

Don't be too rigid but be sure to right it down... the act of accountiblity will keep you very aware of what fuel goes in and the quality of that intake. We all know what is deemed quality and what is not so this allows us that crucial moment of self-monitoring to take place. You must be accountible to yourself in order to ever make this a style of eating for a lifetime. Eventually you will be so intune with your body and what should and will go into it that you will not always require the journal to keep your focus... that will come with time.

That is just a bit of all that was covered and hopefully that will give you a foundation for why you are going to give this new way of looking at food every bit of energy that you have.
Lets get our journals, read the first 5 chapters to tool up for Jan 12th and mentally focus on removing all of the past emotional perception of food that we have. We will all become scientists on Jan 12 and our journal will hold our lab notes that pertain to the experiment that will change how our body uses fuel!

So my question to all of you KOPIK bloggers is...

Why, up to this day, have you eaten the way you do and how do you plan on changing that reason to have it focus on a macronutrient/content driven way of taking in nutrition?

Is the way you eat driven by the way you were raised? Is it family tradition and patterning? Is it lifestyle driven or governed by your day to day experiences of stress, emotion, self-worth and busy schedule? Do you not have any valid reason and that is why you struggle to find a focus??

Please feel free to share and let us all support you in your reasons to change by Cracking the Fat Loss Code...

Stay Strong and Determined...
Always,
Tracey